Republika Online - Bahas Seks di TV, Wanita Saudi Dihukum Cambuk

Republika Online - Bahas Seks di TV, Wanita Saudi Dihukum Cambuk

Al Aqsa

Here we stand, amids fire of your brutality, taking a stand with bare feet, to defend our sacred compound, holy site for all believers of the world, with our life and blood, here we stand, amids rain of bullet, to defend what we hold dear, under the blazing heat, facing most treachourous nation of all land, we will never surrender, we will never break down, though we are left alone into defeat, we will never go down, for our land, for our freedom, for our Al Aqsha... To the last blood

Violence at Al-Aqsa compound

I saw the news on national TV how the clash took place in one of holiest mosques form Muslims. How the Palestinians are always in the front to defend this holy site at all cost, even sacrificing their life. As a muslim, I feel so ashamed as well as sad that I could not participate in their action. I wish I could be there and be one of those who fight with stones against those modern weaponry. It makes me sad that the Palestinians alone defend the mosque while many neighboring countries did nothing but condemning and pleading Israel to stop. They could have done more if they wanted too. I wish I had power to command all Muslim countries to freeze all diplomatic and economic ties wahtsoever with that arrogant government.

Sadly, even acting PM Mahmoud Abbas did not even support the Goldstone report of human rights violation committed by Israel. His action was out of favor of the majority of palestinias while it was popular among Israel and USA. How he could he ignore the real suffering and tragedy of his people and let Israel went unpunished???

Now, it depends of Turkey's PM, Erdogan to save the day as he clearly supported Goldstone report. Many hope that Israel could be brought to justice eventhough the hope is only a slight hint of hope. I remembered how Erdogan walked away from the meeting when Israel PM was there as action of his condemnation of the Gazan slaughter. He's one of the noble character in the region and I pray that he could at least voice the truth and justice for Palestinians.

My prayers for our brothers and sisters in Palestina... you are true martyrs and May Allah grants you all eternity Jannah...

http://islamonline.com/news/articles/26/Violence-at-Al-Aqsa-compound.html

JERUSALEM: Tensions ran high after violence erupted in Jerusalem�s Old City on Sunday at Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, a site revered by Muslims and Jews that has been a major fault line in the Middle East conflict.

Palestinian youths, protesting the intrusion of Jewish occupiers, were beaten by Israeli police, who were deployed throughout the winding narrow streets of the Old City. Police also fired stun grenades, witnesses said.

Police said 17 security force members were wounded in the clashes and 11 people arrested. Witnesses reported seeing dozens of wounded Palestinians.

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel was deliberately raising tensions �at a time when President (Barack) Obama is trying to bridge the divide between Palestinians and Israelis, and to get negotiations back on track.�

�Providing a police escort for settlers who are against peace at all costs, and whose presence is deliberately designed to provoke a reaction, are not the actions of someone who is committed to peace,� he said.

In Cairo, the Arab League expressed �extreme anger� over what it called a �premeditated aggression� by Israeli security forces who had allowed �Zionist extremists� into the mosque compound.

Jordan summoned Israel�s ambassador in Amman in protest over the Israeli �escalation.�

By early afternoon a tense calm reigned in the historic city, with dozens of police officers patrolling the narrow streets and barricades erected at some of the main gates along the city�s 400-year-old walls.

�There is a large police presence in the Old City ... In general, things are quiet,� police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. Police and witnesses said the unrest erupted after a group of people entered the mosque compound known as Al-Haram Al-Sharif. Initially the police said the group was made up of Jewish worshippers, but later said they were French tourists.

�The group attacked at the mosque compound was in fact a group of non-Jewish French tourists who visited it as part of their trip,� said Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby.

�There was a large group of Jewish settlers who gathered outside Al-Aqsa and tried to break in,� said Abu Raed, a Palestinian witness. �Some of them entered and went all the way to the heart of the compound, where there were people praying ... They were Jewish settlers dressed as tourists,� he said. After entering the sprawling compound, the group was confronted by about 150 Muslims who raised slogans, police and witnesses said.

Police later blocked off the compound as speakers from mosques in the Old City urged people to gather at the site to protest.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, slammed the �dangerous escalation� and called for protests. �The occupation bears full responsibility for all the consequences and developments that will follow from this crime,� it said.

The Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound is the third holiest site in Islam and has often been the flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian violence. The second Palestinian uprising, or intifada, erupted there after former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a provocative visit in September 2000. �

Source: Arab News

THE MAGICIAN - The Secret of Nicholas Flamel's Immortality

Already finishing this book. I just found out that this is the second novel of the Legendary Alchemist Nicholas Flamel series by Michael Scott. I should have read the first novel. Yet, I still catch the stories.

Starting by the escape of the prophesied legendary twins, Sophie and Josh Newman through a leygate ( time travel door used by ancient elders) with the help Nicholas Flamel and Scatchach, The Shadow into Paris city from America. Behind their tail was Dr Dee, an english magician, who was obsessed to bring the Dark Elders back to rule the earth. Dee was a humani immortal who served The Dark Elders. The elders consisted of various ancient figures who had inhabited the earth long before the rise of the human including vampires, Valkyries, gods, old spiders, sorceress, etc. There were bad and good elders. The bad were called the dark elders who longed to rule once again and made human the slaves and food. It was prophosied in the Book of Mage and Abraham that legendary twins would be the final fate to save or to destroy the world. In his 450 years of life, Nicholas and Perenelle, his wife, tried to find these legendary twins to train them to save the world and destroyed the dark elders. Dee always attempted to chase them down with any means necessary including killing the humans.

In his effort, Dee was helped by the cunning Nicholo Machiavelli, another immortal who served the dark elders. It was said in this book that this Nicholo Machiavelli was the famous writer and philosopher who wrote the Prince. This was not the only real famous personages in the world history appearing in this book, there were Joan D'Arch, King Gilgamesh, Shakespeare, King Saracen who all were immortals. The writer mixed up fictionous myth, legend, as well as history. Sometimes, it's quite irriatting.

Well, back to the story, Sophie whose power has been awakened by the elder Hekate, slowly mastered two magical elements, fire and water while Josh has not yet been awakened. Jelousy often made Josh angry and envy his sister. Nicholas Flamel was on the verge of his death because the Book of the Mage and Abraham was stole by Dr. Dee. The book contained the secret formula of immortality which changed every month. Nicholas and his wife had to get the book back before the end of the month in order to create another formula for their immortality. If he failed, then he and Perenelle would aged to dusts. Luckily, Josh managed to ripped out the two last pages of the book consisting of the final summoning. Without these pages, Dr Dee could not bring the dark elders back.

Allied by dark elders and the cunning Machiavelli, Dee kept chasing the group. Nicholas needed an ally to defeat them. So he contacted his long lost apprentince and student, La Comte Saint Germain who married to Joan D'Arch, best friend of The Shadow. In history Joan was executed. In this book, she was saved by Sachcath/Scatty and taken good care of by Nicholas and Perenelle. Due to her severe wounds, she lost so much blood and Scatty had given Joan her blood that finally tranformed her into an immortal. Scatty was a vampire, a vegetarian vampire and the sun did not kill her, she ate all but meat and blood. While Saint Germain found secret of immortality by himself. Together they tried to protect the Silver Sophie and The Gold Josh.

In their battles, they had to face the ancient monster Nidhog and the warrior maids, the Valkyries. Josh was given Clarent, a Sword of Fire, to defend himself. This sword was the twin of Excalibur, the Sword of ice. Dee was long had been searching for Clarent. Dee was cunning and persuasive. He succeded to persuade Josh to leave his group for Dee knew that Josh was jeolous of his sister power. He and Machievelli promised him that they would bring to an elder who could awakened him. They brought Josh to the catatombs of Paris to see Ares, the god of war also known as Mars Utor, an elder who was cursed by the Witch of Endor (who gave Sophie her entire knowledge of the ancient world).

Meanwhile, Sactty was attacked by Dagon, the loyal servant of Machievalli. Dagon ancestors had been destroyed by The Shadow and he had a long life enmity with her. He dragged her down into the maine river. Nicholas, Joan, Sophie and Saint Germain had no clue whether Scatty could survive the attack. They decided to rescue Josh from Dee and his allies. They tracked them down into the Catatomb.

Sophie rescued her brother just after Ares had awakened him. It was the debt Josh had to repay later to Ares. Together with Nicholas, Joan, and Saint Germain, the twins fought the armies of Gargoyles created by Deed and Machievelli. Ares was bound into bone stone by Dee and he swore he would avenge him. The twins and their friends successfully eluded the dark immortals.

Meanwhile, Perenelle who was improsed in Alcatraz had to defeat the Spinx who guarded her. The Spinx preyed on her magical power and aura that left her powerless and defenseless. Her improsenment was used by Dee to defeat Nicholas. As the seventh daughter of the seventh daughter, Perenelle had the ability to communicate with spirits and ghosts. Alcatraz was home to thousands of ghosts and spirits. With the help of de Ayala, a dead Sapnish sailor who ruled the island, she could escape from the Spinx. Her aura slowly returned and she needed to get out the island. Dee had collected monsters and ancient dark entities in the dungeon. He created an army of monsters and Perenelle had to find out what he was up to.

Hearing the failure of Spinx, Dee sent the Goddess of Crow, Morrigan to kill Perenelle. Morrigan was all powerful and there's no way Perenelle could escape. In despair, Perenelle was informed by Ayala that Dee had created an imprisonment spell down below the dungeon. To her surprise, she met Aeronap, an elder in the form of giant spider. Keeping aside their dispute, they worked together to defeat the Goddess of Crow.


In the end of the book, Saint Germain provided all necessary papers for Nicholas and the twins to go to London. Nicholas wanted to bring the twins to King Gilgamesh. He would persuade the King to train the twins in mastering the fourelemental magics, fire, water, earth, and wind to defeat the dark elders and their armies. The journey and battle continue in the third novel The Sorceress.

It's quite an entertaining book and i was in a triller from the beginning and the end of the book. Sadly, I had to find its third book to find out the fate of Nicholas and the twins.